Top 9 Castles around Meeuwen-Gruitrode

friendly service nice terrace for a nice beer

Ter Dolen Castle Brewery is located just a few kilometers from Molenheide. This modestly sized brewery produces craft beer in the buildings of the former farmhouse. Five award-winning abbey beers can be sampled here.

The history of Bokrijk goes back to the thirteenth century when the Count of Loon sold the forest ‘Buscurake’ to the sisters of the abbey of Herkenrode who had a model farm built there. The castle was only built in 1891 by Edgard Maris, a rentier from Hasselt. He had bought the entire Bokrijk estate from the Coghen family in 1889. Maris had a castle built in the Maasland neo-Renaissance style on the site where the old manor farm stood. However, Maris got into financial difficulties and three years later the estate came into the hands of Count Ferdinand de Meeûs, who expanded the castle with a right wing and chapel and laid out the park with roads and avenues. The Count died in 1916 and his family sold the estate to Jewish brokers from Germany. After the liberation, in 1918, the estate was seized. It was not until 1928 that the Boerenbond became the owner and sold the domain to the provincial government of Limburg in 1938. In the fifties, the province decided to set up an open-air museum of rural and urban living and living culture through the centuries, which opened in 1958. In 2008, the castle was renovated again and made suitable for conference rooms, equipped with modern communication means and equipment. (Along castles and fortresses)

Always nice to stay there in winter and summer. There is a large indoor and outdoor terrace. And a gift shop. Ideal base to start or end your walk. Open from 13:00.

Summer bar is worth it!

The first mention of De Dool Castle dates back to 1282. At that time it was owned by the Abbey of Sint-Truiden and was used by the abbot as a country house, guest house or refuge during the wars of the people of Liège. During a dispute over the ownership of the castle it was burned down in 1361 by knight Hendrik van Halbeek. In 1522 a major restoration followed by abbot Willem van Brussel. Around 1840 the castle domain got its current shape with some unique tree species. During both world wars it was briefly occupied by the Germans who caused destruction and set fires. For years the castle was uninhabited and in disrepair, until in 1990 the domain was bought by a brewer's daughter. She started to renovate the complex and since 1994 the brewery 'Ter Dolen' has been established here. Various abbey beers are brewed in the modern castle brewery.

Bokrijk Castle is relatively 'young' but there used to be a mansion with a farm on the site where the castle is now located. Let's go back in time: the Bokrijk domain came into the possession of the Cistercian abbey of Herkenrode via the Counts of Loon (the domain is also located on the Loonse Route of the Grote Routepaden) under the name of forest "Buscurake". They built ponds there and developed it as agricultural land. Certainly in the sixteenth century there was already an older farm near the castle. After a discussion between Herkenrode and Hasselt, the domain came into the possession of Genk in the sixteenth century and the older farm was replaced by a mansion with a farm in 1744-1745. The entire estate of Herkenrode Abbey - including Bokrijk - was sold in 1797 and the farm with lands evolved into a castle in neo-renaissance style with a farmyard, park and also lands. One of the later owners, the Edgard Maris-Vanhees family, had the castle and accompanying park laid out as it is now in 1890 and in 1898 the mansion was converted into a castle. For the construction of the country house in neo-renaissance style, remains of the square farm to the east of it, dating from the first half of the 18th century, were used. The former farm buildings are arranged around a partly cobbled, square courtyard with some beautiful trees, and are currently in use as a restaurant, offices and storage areas. The castle already evolved into a restaurant at the end of the 1950s when the Bokrijk nature reserve evolved into a recreation area. More on https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/120895

With the development of Commanderij Gruitrode, the municipality strives for harmony between culture, nature, heritage, leisure and tourism that the residents of Oudsbergen can be proud of. The ambitious goal is to develop the Commandery into a tourist and recreational attraction for heritage, nature and culture lovers and a meeting place for associations and entrepreneurs. It will be an experience-packed heritage site with attention to the German Order of Knighthood. Commandery Gruitrode will become the gateway to the Dune Belt of the Hoge Kempen National Park. At the same time, the Commanderij will become a meaningful and accessible place for the residents of Oudsbergen, for culture and events and with quality catering. These facilities make the site attractive for companies and organizations looking for a unique meeting or event location in green surroundings. The Commandery consists of two islands, each with its own character, but together they form Commandery Gruitrode. To preserve the image of one entity from the outside, a connection will be created between the farm and the castle, and the entire site will again be surrounded by a moat. The heritage is being restored and new interventions will take place that evoke the lost heritage. All new additions are made in a new architectural language, which fits perfectly with the historic environment. All information can be found here: https://www.oudsbergen.be/projecten/detail/3/commanderij-gruitrode